


In the Family Way

by Miragefiction



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Humor, F/M, Magical Pregnancy, Post-Game(s), Post-Time Skip, Pregnancy, Sexual Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-11-12
Packaged: 2020-10-20 16:16:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20678279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miragefiction/pseuds/Miragefiction
Summary: Byleth and Claude want to have a baby, but Byleth's unique background may throw a very particular wrench into their plans... Is it possible to have a baby with someone who's basically part-goddess? Thankfully, Marianne, Flayn, and Seteth contribute some much needed advice, much to Claude's horror.I take some pretty heavy liberties with backstory here (particularly Flayn and Seteth's) as I wrote most of this before I finished the game, but I think it's fairly in line with a lot of fan-theories.Finally complete!





	1. Questions and Answers

It was a gloomy day outside when Byleth found Marianne tidying up the monastery infirmary.

“Thank you for helping out. You really don’t have to do this. You’re our guest now, you know.”

Marianne smiled, placing a stack of freshly folded sheets into a cupboard. “Oh, no worries at all, Professor. I’m happy to help!”

Byleth sat on one of the empty beds and was quiet for a long moment. Finally she broke the comfortable silence with a hesitant question. 

“Marianne... Can I ask you something personal?”

Marianne turned back to her and frowned worriedly. “O-oh? Of-of course.”

Byleth drew a circle on the bed sheets with her finger. “It’s about me...” she said slowly. “My... uh... body.”

Marianne sat up a little straighter in some relief. “Oh, you mean like a medical question.”

“Yes, sort of,” Byleth said slowly, “I know I could go to Manuela, but she would ask for too many embarrassing details.”

Marianne’s eyes widened in interest. “Well, I’m not sure what use I’ll be, but I’ll certainly try to help.”

“Thank you,” Byleth sighed, and then paused, as if struggling to find the words. “It’s... it’s about my... fertility.”

Marianne blinked. “Oh?”

“Yes, you see, umm... I don’t seem to be... Able to become pregnant.”

“...I see,” Marianne said gravely. “I understand why you didn’t want to ask Professor Manuela. Her seminar on the ‘the miracle of life’ we were forced to take all those years ago was frankly appalling.”

Byleth nodded. “I think I left that day more confused than ever. But back to the matter at hand...?”

“Of course. So you’re unable to conceive?” Marianne asked gently. “I assume it’s not been due to lack of trying?”

Byleth shook her head. “No. No... We... Ah...Have tried rather a lot.”

“I see.” Marianne replied softly, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. “Well then...”

“Do you know what else could be the cause?” Byleth asked.

She watched hopefully as Marianne contemplated the issue, a serious expression on her pale, pretty face. “Well, there are many possible reasons that come to mind, but we can probably rule out a few,” she said. “How is your cycle? Normal?”

Byleth squinted at her. “My... what?”

“You know, your monthly cycle. Your moonblood.”

Byleth stared at her blankly. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand.”

“You... you don’t have a monthly cycle? When you bleed...?”

“Bleed? Umm... No, no can’t say that I have.”

Marianne regarded her with some astonishment. 

“Is that... Bad?” Byleth asked cautiously. 

“I... well, it’s certainly unusual for someone who is otherwise healthy. Usually a young girl will begin her cycle as she ages into a woman, around the same time breasts begin to develop. It’s a general indicator that her body is becoming mature and will soon gain the ability to bear children. To not have one at all, ever, at your age, and otherwise... ah... full development...”

Byleth frowned. “That sounds bad.”

Marianne nodded. “Perhaps. I’m a little shocked this has never come up in conversation with other women, but I suppose you were raised by a single father and then put into a position of authority within the church... And again, Manuela’s lessons certainly left something to be desired... but still...!”

Byleth was at a loss. “It’s something... normal then? And I don’t have it?”

Marianne sighed. “It’s perplexing. I’ve never heard of such a thing. You’ve never had one? You’re not experiencing any pain? Cramping or belly trouble?”

Byleth shook her head. 

“No pain when you urinate?”

Byleth wrinkled her nose. “No.”

“And when you, ah, experience marital intimacy, is that painful?”

“No. Well, sometimes I am a little sore after, depending on how long we—“

Marianne held up a hand. “No further details are necessary.”

Byleth nodded, blushing a little.

Marianne was silent again, staring out into the middle distance with her chin in one hand. “This is quite the conundrum. I’ll have to do some reading. But my assumption is that your particular state of being as the vessel of the goddess has changed you. It may be that you simply lack the functionality of a normal human in some ways.”

“So... I may not be able to bear children? Ever?”

Marianne blinked as if finally realizing the gravity of her conclusion and looked at her, expression soft but serious. “...I fear that may be the case, yes.”

“Oh...” Byleth said slowly. “Th-that...”

“I’m sorry, Professor. I may be mistaken, so please let me do some research and confer with the other healers and physicians. And perhaps Flayn.”

“Flayn?”

“Yes, she also has some... unique physicality in her family. She may be able to shed some light on the subject. Ah, if only your mother was still with us, or Lady Rhea....”

Byleth didn’t want to think of Rhea now, not when this appeared to be her doing, purposefully or not. “I see... Thank you Marianne. Really.”

“You’re welcome, Byleth. And please, do not fret too much. They say that even the Goddess herself was a mother, after all.”


	2. Worries and Hopes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Advice comes in some unexpected places

Byleth delivered this news to Claude later that evening, watching as his expression fell. 

“I... I see.” He said softly, “It never occurred to me that you were different in that way. I mean, I know you’re different in plenty of ways, but... that...”

She bowed her head a little. “I’m sorry... I know you must be disappointed. We’ve been making plans and...”

He stood up and came to kneel before her chair and take her hands in his. “Byleth, please don’t apologize. This isn’t your fault.”

She felt tears spring into her eyes unbidden. “I know. I’m just... I’m sad. After talking with your mother, I realized how much I wanted a family, a new family with you. I only ever had Jeralt, and I wanted...”

He pulled her down into a hug. “Oh, oh my love, please don’t cry. We will figure this out. And even if we can’t do things the traditional way, there’s plenty of ways to make a family, right?”

“There are?”

“Of course. We could adopt a child...or... or arrange a surrogate.”

“Surrogate?” She mumbled, frowning. “You mean, someone else would have your baby? I don’t like the sound of that at all.”

“Ah, I admit that would be more... complicated than is ideal... but we don’t have to decide anything now. Besides, you said Marianne was going to do some more research? Maybe she’ll turn up something and we’ll have been worried for nothing.”

—

The very next day Byleth was sitting in her office, too distracted to focus on her paperwork, when a knock at her door interrupted her gloom.

It was Flayn, who hopped into her arms with an unexpected hug. 

“Oh, Professor! I’m so happy for you!”

“Ah? About what, Flayn?”Byleth asked, bemused.

“Marianne told me you want to have a baby! That’s so wonderful!”

Byleth’s spirits fell. “Ah, well... I’m not sure how much she told you, but it sounds like I won’t be able to.”

“Oh! No, that’s not the case at all, Professor! Not if you’re like me.”

Byleth blinked at her in astonishment. “What... do you mean?”

“I’ve never had any moonblood, either!”

Byleth was taken aback by the contents of the statement as much as the overly cheerful delivery. “... But Marianne said that was unheard of.”

“Well, it is for normal humans I suppose.”

“Normal ... humans?”

“Oh yes. Daddy said I could tell you, finally, since it’s a rather unique circumstance.” Flayn said, looking around and then lowering her voice conspiratorially. “I’m half dragon!”

“Half... what?”

“Well, dragon-kin. The children of the goddess. And you have the soul of a goddess, right? So it’s almost like we’re related! Like sisters!”

“I... Flayn, that is quite spectacular. Dragon-kin? You’re really serious? I thought it was only Rhea...!”

“There aren’t very many of us left any more, and most have lost the ability to transform a few generations ago, including Daddy and me. We mostly look human, except for our ears.” She drew aside a thick coil of curls to show off a conspicuously pointed ear. 

Byleth gazed at her in amazement. Then a little closer, openly assessing her figure. Flayn, though appearing perfectly healthy and quite cute, was not particularly womanly in appearance. 

“Are you... of an age to bear children?” 

“Oh, not yet. It can take a few hundred years for dragon-kin to mature.”

Byleth goggled for a moment. “I... see. So ... Am I not mature yet?”

That was hard to believe for several reasons, but perhaps especially because of her rather active sex life.

“Oh, that must be different for you, Professor. Since you’re mostly human. And you have a human mate. I have no interest in finding a mate yet... But perhaps next century I will start looking.”

“And yet you... Eventually... will be able to have a child?”

“Oh yes, if I choose to! Though I hear it can be rather of an ordeal.”

“O-oh?” 

“I’m afraid I don’t have the experience yet myself,” Flayn said, a mischievous glint in her eyes, “But I know someone who does!” 

—

Claude was looking Byleth like she had two heads. 

“You want me... to talk to Seteth... about sex?”

“Well, Yes. He might be able to tell you... how it works between humans and his kind. it could be relevant to our situation, apparently.”

“... Can it really be that different?” Claude asked slowly. “I mean, we’ve gone about things in the human fashion so far.”

Byleth shrugged. “To produce a child it’s apparently more complicated. Flayn didn’t know the specifics. Please, can you at least try to talk with him? I know it’s embarrassing but... Well, if I tried to ask him he’d probably pass out.” 

“You have a point there.” He sighed. “All right, I’ll speak with him. Hopefully he won’t excommunicate me on the spot.”

Byleth hugged him, brimming with relief. “Oh thank you! Thank you!”


	3. Advice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seteth and Claude have a very awkward conversation

This was the single most awkward conversation he had ever had, which included various exceedingly painful post-war negotiations with noble houses he was dissolving. 

Seteth also looked quite uncomfortable as well, practically red as a beet as he struggled to form a proper response to Claude’s rather blunt question. 

“So... How do dragon-kin breed?” 

“I heard you the first time, Duke Riegan. Marianne and Flayn had somewhat prepared me for such an invasive line of questioning, but I... I’m struggling to... verbalize a response.” 

“This is for Byleth’s sake, you know. She really wants a family. If this could help...”

“I... I understand.”

They were silent for another long moment. 

“...Would it help you to just write it down?” Claude suggested. 

“Oh, heavens yes. Do you have parchment and ink?”

Claude received the requested items from his writing desk and sat them in front of the other man. 

Seteth collected himself, thought for a moment, and slowly, began to write. 

It was nearly a full two hours later when he roused Claude from a doze on the couch. “Here. A completed lesson for you,” he said, not quite able to look him in the eye. “It contains all the specifics you may or may not need to know.” 

Claude sat up and collected the sheaf of papers with growing curiosity which quickly turned to mounting horror. It was quite a startling amount of information, at least a dozen pages long, front and back, all written in Seteth’s small, tidy hand. 

He stared at it for a long moment, skimming through the material quickly. 

“This... this is for real?”

“Yes, of course.”

He paused at one particularly incredible passage. “...Eggs?”

“Yes?”

Claude was starting to sweat a little. “...And what’s all this about water? Breeding grounds? She’s a woman, not a salmon.”

“Sir, you’ve asked me for my expertise and I have given it to you. In great detail.”

Claude sat back, feeling overwhelmed. He glanced back through the pages again. “And... What’s with this weird drawing?”

Seteth cringed visibly, but he was somehow able to say, “It is a diagram of the... the female anatomy.”

Claude squinted at the paper for a long time. 

“Seteth, you have seen a naked woman before, right?”

Seteth reddened and blustered. “I have a child, sir!”

“Just checking. Ah... What is this supposed to be then? This part here?”

“That... That is the ... Try turning it around.” 

Claude turned the paper upside down. “Oh. Ohhh... I see it now. You didn’t have to draw that. We’ve been married for two years - I know where it goes.”

“I was trying to be thorough! Besides, the orientation here is key. The female usually takes this position.”

Claude’s eyebrows shot up. “What, sitting on her head?!”

“Well, dragon-kin usually hang upside down from their tails when in dragon form. It promotes proper circulation needed for the implantation.”

Claude slid down in the cushions and ran his fingers up through his hair. “This is... way more complicated than it should be.”

“Well, perhaps. A healthy child is worth all the effort and more, I assure you.”

Claude regained himself a bit at that. “... Thank you, Seteth. Truly. If this works you will have my endless gratitude.”

The older man bowed. “Of course, my lord. Please let me know if you have any further questions... in writing. And give my regards to Professor Eisner.” 

With that, he was gone. Claude let out a deep and exasperated breath before settling down to read the document in full. 

—

“Oh my,” Byleth said when he handed her sheaf of the papers some time later. “This is... rather extensive.”

“Yes, he never does things halfway, it seems.”

She squinted and turned the paper to review the diagram. “Huh.”

“Yeah, I know. But...” he leaned over and turned a few pages for her and pointed. “This part doesn’t seem too bad, though. A big meal, a hot bath, and then ...”

“Yes, but upside down?”

“You can just turn that way afterwards, with your feet up.”

“Thank heavens for that,” she said and kept reading with visibly mounting concern. “Oh... Oh my!”

“Ah, yeah that surprised me too...”

“Eggs? Really?”

“Thankfully that is only truly likely if we were both full-blood dragonkin. Flayn was born like a normal baby from her human mother, apparently.”

“That’s a relief.” Byleth said, shoulders relaxing. 

“So on the next full moon let’s plan a getaway together, just you and me, to this island he’s recommended. It’s got hot springs, beaches, a shrine and everything. It could be like a little vacation.”

“That does sound rather nice when you put it that way...”


	4. Second Honeymoon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude attempts to turn Seteth's lesson into a romantic getaway and Byleth starts to feel a little odd...

A few weeks later and after a lot more research, careful preparation, and significant delegation, Claude and Byleth landed his wyvern on a secluded beach a few dozen miles south of the kingdom. 

Seteth had called it the breeding grounds, but more poetically it really was a rather perfect honeymoon destination. 

There were clear blue waters, soft white sand, lush greenery, and not another soul in sight. 

They had arranged for plenty of supplies to be delivered to a cozy little hut up the beach. Bundles of clean bedding, food, and drink waited for them in carefully labeled baskets.

Further inland, past shaded grove of trees under a sleeping volcano, was the cavern containing the hot springs. 

It was, quite frankly, paradise. 

“This... is amazing.” Byleth said softly. “I can’t believe it!”

“Come on,” Claude said, taking her hand, “Let’s get settled in and have something to eat. I’m starving.”

Byleth agreed and they quickly built a fire and set a pair of freshly caught fish to roasting (it had to be fish, the instructions had specified quite firmly).

They ate well, and night began to fall around them, the sunset resplendent with warm oranges and pinks on the horizon over the ocean. They sat together by the fire, watching the embers glow. 

Byleth had to admit it was genuinely romantic. Claude had put no small amount of effort into translating Seteth’s dry and clinical instructions into something amazing. 

The smell of this place, the feel of the warm sand on her feet, the sound of the waves, and his presence beside her felt like it was awakening something buried deep within her. She felt strangely nervous and excited, as if it was their wedding night all over again. 

“Shall we head to the springs?” She suggested, nuzzling his neck. 

“Oh, first one more thing — I almost forgot about this,” Claude said, pulling out a large unmarked bottle of some suspiciously dark liquid. 

Byleth leaned back and looked at it worriedly. 

“Don’t worry, I didn’t make it. Seteth gave it to me before we left.” He said with a reassuring smile. “Oh, there’s a note.”

Byleth leaned over to read it. “Dragon blossom wine. To promote circulation and pleasant sensation. Use in moderation.”

Now it was Claude’s turn to look skeptical. “Huh...”

But Byleth was feeling adventurous, so she popped the cork. “Let’s try some.”

He shrugged. “...Sure.”

She poured them both generous cups of the stuff.

He took a sip and sputtered at the intensely bitter, herbal taste. “Oof... I can see why moderation is necessary.” 

Byleth sniffed hers cautiously for a moment, her eyes growing wide and slightly unfocused. “Oh... It smells lovely, though...” 

To his astonishment, she downed the full cup in one huge gulp.

She leaned back a little, licking her lips. “Oh... that was delicious.”

Claude looked down at his cup and the thick, slightly astringent smell wafting from it. “Uh, if you say so...”

He took one more sip, winced, and poured the rest over the fire. 

“Come on, let’s go!” She said, smiling and taking his hand to pull him up the beach. 

They had dressed lightly for the travel and the weather, and the white cotton dress she wore fluttered around her bare legs with the ocean breeze. With the light of the sunset behind her, it revealed the shape of her figure through the fabric in a way that was impossibly appealing.

As they approached the path they first stopped at a large stone archway. It was carved with runes half washed away from hundreds of years of sand and storms. They were nearly illegible, and even if they were clearer, they appeared to be in some long-forgotten language. Byleth paused and ran her fingers over the rough stone. 

“It’s hot...” she said softly. 

Claude reached out and laid his hand bedside hers. It felt like a normal rock under his palm, maybe slightly sun-warmed, but nothing unusual.

He turned to look at her and found that his words caught in his throat. She was, ever so faintly, glowing. 

“Byleth...?”

“Hmm?” She turned to him, a dreamy look in her now very clearly glowing green eyes. 

“Are you... feeling ok?”

“I feel great.” She said, smiling serenely. “I think I— Oh! Look!”

There was a slightly pulse against their palms and the stone beneath them seemed to shudder and then the runes began to slowly fill with light as well. 

“Woah...”

“This is incredible.” She said softly. “I really feel... something... like it’s... right for us to be here. This is right.”

“Yeah?” 

She nodded.

They proceeded through the archway and through the jungle path until they came up the mouth of a large cavern. 

The cave to the underground springs was dark, but a soft blue glow suffused the space, phosphorescent moss and crystal formations turning it into and otherworldly scene. 

The air was humid and slightly acrid, instantly coating them in a light sheen of mist. 

Byleth’s dress, loose and flowing before, now clung to her skin, almost translucent. Her hair was glowing, and in that moment it was very easy to believe she was a goddess reborn. 

It almost felt a little inappropriate to be so turned on. 

Without saying a word, she peeled off her dress over her head and threw it at him before lowering herself into the steaming water with a sigh of utter pleasure. When she looked over her shoulder back at him in such clear invitation it was hopeless to deny. 

He scrambled to follow, wincing as the hot water surged up his body. It was far hotter than any bath he had ever taken, and it instantly made him feel a little light-headed. 

She turned to him, pale skin flushed with the heat, the tips of her full breasts hard and pink. Her mouth was pink too, and she kissed him with a wordless hunger that sent him spinning. 

She was never especially shy with her needs, not even their first time, but this was a whole other level. He felt like he was being devoured. When they broke apart with a gasp the heady, open look of desire in her softly glowing eyes was slightly alarming in its intensity. 

She pressed into him wantonly, her body hot and slick in the water, sliding against him. 

“Mmmm... Oh, I feel very... Good.”

“I can tell,” he said dazedly. 

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, I’m great. A little hot, but great. You look... amazing.”

“I feel amazing. Different. Like... I’m floating.” 

“You are, a bit.”

The water was thick with minerals, making their bodies slightly buoyant as they bobbed beside each other. 

She laughed, and the soft sound echoed around them like music.

They swam slowly to the other side of the pool, where someone long ago had carved deep steps into the stone. The heat was pulling every ache and bit of tension out of his muscles, sore from a long day of riding. He sighed and leaned back against the warm rocks, closing his eyes. 

He felt her slide onto his lap, straddling him.

He opened his eyes and gazed at her, forehead to forehead, for a long, quiet moment, the only sounds in the large open room the lapping of the water and their soft breathing. 

They kissed for a long time, slowly at first, then building in urgency until she broke away with a gasp. 

“I... I really want to make love to you right now. Very, very much.” 

Was she... purring? Or was that a growl? 

He could only nod dumbly.


	5. Strange Developments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a fateful night, Claude and Byleth face some strange new challenges

Claude blinked groggily and stared up at the unfamiliar roof of the hut for a long moment before attempting to sit up. His head swam and he laid back again, trying to organize his scattered thoughts into something sensible.

He remembered the cave, the glow, and Byleth pulling him out of the water and back onto the shore. They pressed together against the edge of the pool, along the wall, and then finally fell into each other in a soft, warm bed of moss. 

She had been marvelous and completely ravenous, rocking into him with abandon. They must have made love nearly half a dozen times until he was so completely dizzy and spent he must have passed out. 

He didn’t remember walking back up to their camp. Had he been so out of it he simply forgot? Or had she... carried him? Surely not. 

He sat up again, a bit more cautiously. He looked around the empty bedding beside him. A tingle of panic ran through him for a moment. Where was she?

“Byleth?”

There was no answer, but he heard something shift and splash outside. He staggered to his feet with some effort. 

The sight that assailed him when he stuck his head out of the door nearly knocked him backward in shock. 

There, standing in the ocean in front of him, was a huge white dragon. It was easily five times the size of his wyvern, iridescent scales shining in the moonlight as it towered above him, long tail curling around its sinuous body like a cat. 

It was looking right at him with large, luminous green eyes. 

It moved towards him up the beach in an unsteady, lurching movement and he had to fight the sudden and very real urge to run and hide like a prey animal.

It stopped a few yards away from the hut, long muzzle shifting downwards to look at him more closely. He could feel the sulfur scented heat of its breath even from that distance. 

He swallowed, hard. 

“B...Byleth? Is that you?”

The creature stilled, eyes narrowing. It lurched forward again, serpentine head slowly tilting to look at him with one slitted eye. It sniffed him curiously and he carefully raised a hand to place on it’s smooth nose. It huffed, hot breath nearly making him stumble again. 

She didn’t seem to be able to speak, but her calm, almost stoic demeanor and the color of her eyes... It was too familiar to be a coincidence. He had only caught glimpses of the beast that Rhea had transformed into all those years ago, and heard the stories... He knew that Seteth had called his people “dragon-kin” but... This wasn’t just a dragon. This was a god. This was his wife. 

“Byleth...? If that’s you... Can you... Change back?”

She stepped back and snorted, her whole body shifting as she sat back on her haunches and spread out her huge, almost translucent wings. One powerful flap sent him back into the room, a massive gust of wind nearly blowing the whole building over. 

“Byleth! Wait!”

With another powerful flap, she was in the air, seawater and sand streaming down her sides. 

Then she was gone. 

—

He waited for three days before returning to the estate in Derdriu. 

When he came home all alone and completely frantic, it sent the whole household into a frenzy. Search parties were formed, ships sent out across the ocean, favors called in to every local lord and lady, and messengers sent to all corners of the kingdom.

Four days later she appeared quite suddenly, pale and feverish and very human, on his balcony.

“Claude?”

He jumped up from where he had been slumped at his deck. “What...? Byleth...!”

He ran to her, catching her before she could fall to her knees. “Gods you gave me a fright! I was terrified you’d be gone for another five years! I--”

She was trembling, her voice rough and unsteady. “I’m sorry... I don’t know what came over me... I just... Had to go...”

“Go where?”

She shook her head. “I... I don’t remember... I think I was... underwater...?”

He hugged her fiercely. “Ah, goddess above...! It doesn’t matter. I’m just so glad you’re back, that you’re okay...! I was so, so scared...!”

She clutched at him, sobbing, and he held her close, shaking with relief. He took her face in his hands and looked into her eyes and did a double-take. 

“Your... your hair! Your eyes! They've changed back to blue again,” he said, reaching up to brush her bangs away. “Oh, and you’re burning up! We have to get you inside.” 

He started to pick her up but she pushed him away.

“I’m sorry, I’m so very sorry,” she said breathlessly, “I... I think I can walk, but... Wait, please wait!”

“What’s the matter?”

“I... I brought you something.”

He squinted at her in confusion. “Brought me...?”

She pointed weakly behind her, where a large basket leaned against the balcony rail. 

Inside was a huge, luminous egg.

—

“Well, that’s certainly something.”

“Thank you for the understatement of the century, Hanneman.”

The elderly scholar scowled at Manuela from across the small examination room. Byleth was in the bed in front of them, deep asleep, her figure curled protectively around the massive egg. 

Claude was sitting in a chair at her side, looking very much and very accurately like he hadn’t slept in a week.

“Her fever has already lowered considerably, but she’s still not out of the woods yet,” Manuela said gently, touching his shoulder. “I’m still not sure what exactly happened to her, but she’s clearly been through a lot.”

“Now who’s stating the obvious,” Hanneman grumbled. 

Manuela glared at him, but collected herself and leaned down again to address Byleth’s sleeping form. “I’ll come and check on you both in the morning. I’ve done all I can for her at the moment. For now, I think she needs rest. And you too, Claude.”

He nodded silently. 

“I’d also like to check in later as well,” Hanneman said briskly, “These changes... Her hair, her crest... It’s all rather inexplicable. I’ll have to run more tests when she’s well enough. In the meantime, I’ll be in the library. Seteth has gathered quite a bit of reading material for us all to review. Where he has been hiding those scrolls all these years I will never know, but—“

Manuela groaned. “Hanneman... You’re blathering on again...”

“Ah, apologies!” He said, turning to leave, “Oh, and I nearly forgot — Miss Flayn has asked to see you. She’s waiting outside. May I let her in...?”

Claude sighed and nodded again, absolutely drained of all levity. “Sure. And thank you, both of you, for coming all this way. I’m glad you’re here. And... Your discretion is appreciated.”

“Of course, Your Majesty. Rest well.”

They left, and after a moment Flayn peeked her head back through the door. 

Her expression was so wide-eyed with worry he had to smile a little. “It’s all right. You can come in. She’s asleep, but...” 

Flayn ran towards him and wrapped him in a tight hug. 

He held very still for a moment, then slowly eased into the embrace. 

“I’m so glad...” she said softly. “I’m... I’m so, so glad she’s okay.” 

“Me too,” he replied tiredly. 

When she stepped back there were trails of tears streaming down her small, sweet face. He handed her his handkerchief. 

She wiped her eyes and blew her nose quite spectacularly. She attempted to hand the handkerchief back to him but he waved it away. 

“Ah, you can keep that one.”

“Thank you.”

She sat gingerly on the edge of the bed, carefully leaning over to look down at Byleth’s sleeping form. She reached out a hand towards the egg, but paused, looking back at him as if for permission. 

He nodded. 

She smiled and gently laid her palm along the smooth, round surface. For a moment, all was still and silent. Then the egg began to glow. 

Claude sat up. “What..?”

Flayn held up her other hand. “Don’t worry. It’s just a blessing.” 

The glow slowly faded away. Flayn gently patted the egg and turned back to him with a wide, teary smile. “Congratulations.” 

Faced with such a smile he could only reciprocate. “Thank you.”

—

Claude woke up the next morning to find Byleth sitting up in bed, the egg in her lap with a cushion and book propped up on it like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

He just stared at her for a long moment, mesmerized. 

“Good morning,” she said finally, looking at him sheepishly over the edge of her book. 

He sat back and stretched, his back giving an audible pop. Sleeping in an infirmary cot was better than camping on a battlefield, but not much. “Good morning... How... How are you feeling?”

She laughed a little, and the sound of it lightened his spirits so much he nearly cried. 

“I’m... well, I’m still tired but... I feel quite a bit better, actually.” 

She looked it, too. The pallid haze of illness and exhaustion that had overtaken her features last night was completely gone, replaced with a bright, If somewhat flushed, complexion. 

He reached over and took her hand. “Motherhood agrees with you.”

A deep blush suffused her cheeks. “I... I can’t believe it.” 

He got up and sat directly on the bed beside her, gathering her to his side.“You are rather unbelievable, yes, and I’m afraid you’ve really topped yourself with this one. Cutting holes in the universe, sleeping for five years, turning into a dragon, laying an egg...” 

She laughed again. “Oh, goddess... I... It’s amazing though, isn’t it?”

He squeezed her hand warmly. “It is. You are.” 

She simply sighed and leaned against him. For a short moment, they were peaceful again. Then she sat up with a start. 

“Oh...!”

“What? What’s is it?”

“Oh, it’s... Just...” She said softly, hand on her chest. She took his hand and laid it beside her, over her left breast.

He blinked at her in surprise. “Uhm...”

“Don’t you feel it?”

He stilled. Under his palm he could feel the unmistakable pulse of a beating heart. His eyes widened. “You... What does that mean...?”

Her voice was soft, almost inaudible. “I don’t know. I... Hanneman mentioned something being odd about my crest...?”

“Ah...” He said, sitting up a little straighter. “Yeah... He... He said couldn’t see it anymore.”

She swallowed and took a breath. “How... How could that be?”

They looked down at the egg together in bewilderment. 

“That’s a very good question.”


	6. Learning Curve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth and Claude settle into a new normal and make some very important preparations

“It must be kept warm at all times, but not too warm. A gentle, diffuse heat is required.”

“Yes, please, let’s not soft-boil the future prince,” Claude suggested dryly. 

Seteth shot him a dark look. 

“Or princess,” Claude amended with a shrug. Byleth shoved him lightly in the arm. “Sorry.”

They were standing around the newly barricaded wing of the sauna. The egg was wrapped in a nest of towels in the center of the room sitting snugly in what had formerly been a footbath. 

“Will it really be alright in here?” Byleth asked worriedly. “It’s truly safe to leave it alone?”

“It will be perfectly safe, Your Majesty. And it won’t be alone. I’ve selected the guards from our trusted allies and set a tight rotation, day and night. I will also personally check the temperature and progress daily. It will be quite some time before it hatches — no less than six moons at minimum, and the temperature here will be much easier to regulate than your chambers.” 

“See? Everything’s under control,” Claude said gently, taking her hands. “You can’t just stay in bed and brood like a hen for half a year.”

She frowned and pursed her lips as if she wanted to dispute this claim, but finally relented. “As long as I can visit...” 

“Of course Your Majesty, and I’d encourage you both to do so,” Seteth said firmly. “You should speak to the egg as frequently as possible. The child will start to recognize your voice through the shell as they develop.” 

Byleth’s eyes went wide as saucers. “Really?” 

“Indeed!” 

—

“Promise me you’ll visit the egg while I’m away at the monastery.”

“I will.”

“You must. You have to talk to it every day. Every day, Claude.”

“Byleth,” he laughed, partly to hide his exasperation. “I will! I promise.”

She frowned at him for a long moment then sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m just so nervous about leaving...”

“It’s alright. It’s annoying that the church is calling for a council now of all times when you’ve barely recovered, but I think we both agree that at least one of us should be there. They’ll listen to you more than me, they always have. And you need to make a pretty big announcement, after all.”

She nodded tersely. “I know... I just...”

He put his arm around her gently. “I’ll be here, Seteth and Flayn and Manuela and Hanneman will all be here. Nothing will happen.”

“When someone says that it only makes me more worried! Fate has a habit of playing tricks on me if you hadn’t noticed.”

“It’s only for three days. It will be months before the hatching,” He said gently. “And... Look, if anything were to happen, Cyril can bring you right back straight away on his wyvern. We are just a short flight away.”

Her expression remained pinched with worry. He drew her into a hug. “Trust me?”

She sighed and nodded into his shoulder. “Of course I do...”

“This is hard for me too, after what happened the last time we were separated... But as long as you don’t suddenly fly off to take a nap under a body of water again, I think we will be okay.”

She laughed lightly and he knew he had finally won her over. “I’ll do my best.”

—

Claude eased himself into the water, feeling rather silly. Carefully he lifted the egg from it’s nest of towels and placed it on his lap. Then he stared at it for a long, silent moment. 

He had found it a bit difficult to form an emotional attachment to an egg. Byleth had been practically impossible to pry away from the thing, always hovering and cooing over it like... Well, like a mother hen. He found this behavior rather endearing, he had to admit, if a little odd. Overall, he was indeed quite happy his wife had returned alive and well and expecting... That had been the plan all along, after all. 

But this still didn’t feel quite real. 

“Wyverns bury their eggs in the sand, you know,” he said aloud to the empty room. 

The egg bobbed silently in front of him.

“Well, shall I tell you a bedtime story, then?” He asked, “There are quite a few famous ones from my homeland, a thousand and one to be exact, once told by a clever princess to escape death from a mad king. How about one of those?”

The egg did not reply, of course, but he began anyway. He spoke slowly at first, feeling awkward, but began to find his rhythm when he switched to speaking Almyran, and soon found himself quite animatedly narrating the adventure. Just as he was reaching the cliffhanger of the first tale, the egg gave a sudden but unmistakable lurch. 

Startled, he stared down at it in wonder. 

“Well then,” he said slowly, feeling a soft warmth flood his heart, “I’m afraid the conclusion of our story will have to wait until tomorrow night, my dear.”

—

The next night, Byleth returned early to the capital. 

She had frankly terrified the rest of the council into a swift decision, sending them into quite a frenzy with her announcement of the upcoming “birth.” 

She had left out several incidental details, of course, but apparently even without the specifics to the “how” of things, there were dozens of traditions and mountains of paperwork that had to be seen to for such an occasion. She was basically both acting archbishop and queen of two newly joined kingdoms, after all, and there was considerable confusion on how to handle the specifics of succession, delegation, and so forth. 

She had left her advisors with quite a considerable workload to process in the upcoming months, not to mention the significant packet she herself had been sent home with. 

Those things were all galaxies away from her mind as she raced home. 

After delivering her company and the horses to the stables she proceeded directly to the sauna with some haste. 

Alois was standing outside guarding the entrance, his ear against the door. He jolted to attention at her sudden appearance, giving her a hasty salute. “Oh, Prof-- Your Majesty! You’re home early!”

“Yes, I am,” she said, perhaps a little more tersely than intended. “What were you doing?”

He laughed a little, embarrassed. “Ha, sorry - I was just listening to the story. I can’t make heads from tails of it, really, but--”

“Story?”

He nodded and smiled, stepping aside to let her past. “You should have a listen for yourself.”

Frowning, she laid her head and ear against the door.

Inside she could hear a faint but familiar voice reciting what sounded something like poetry. She carefully and quietly opened the door just enough to peek inside. 

Claude was sitting in the middle of the room with his back to the door, dressed only in his shirt sleeves, pants rolled up to the knees and his feet in the water. His boots, cape, and jacket were placed neatly on the bench along the wall. He hadn’t noticed her intrusion yet, so she watched him for quite some time, a soft, warm feeling of awe filling her chest.

He was speaking with some animation to the egg in his lap, one hand gesticulating in the air in rhythm with the words. It wasn’t poetry, she decided, but it did have a rather musical cadence, his expressive voice raising and lowering dramatically as he spoke. 

She didn’t understand a word of it, but the sound and sight of him tugged at something deep inside of her. 

He paused for a breath, and she stepped into the room. 

“Hello,” she said softly, feeling almost shy. 

He turned to her, surprise quickly turning to joy. 

“Oh you’re back early! Come here, quick...!”

She blinked and hurried to his side. “Wh-What...?”

He took her hand and pressed it against the warm, smooth surface of the egg. 

She frowned, puzzled. “Claude, what are you—“

Then she felt it. A gentle flutter of movement passed under her palm. 

Her eyes widened. 

“Did you feel it?” He said, voice hushed. “She always gets a bit excited at the end.”

She stared at the egg in wonder for a long moment, then turned to face him again. “...She?”

A slightly embarrassed expression passed quickly over his features. “Ah, well, perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but it just kind of sounds right...?” 

She laughed and leaned over to kiss him.


	7. Dreams of the Future

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Byleth has a nightmare about the future and she and Claude talk it out.

In the dark hours of early morning Byleth awoke with a start, her entire body shaking. For a moment she couldn’t breathe. It all came back to her in a rush and she sat up in bed, gasping and choking. 

Claude sat up groggily and upon seeing her distress became swiftly alert, drawing her into his arms. “Hey, hey...! What’s wrong? Are you all right?”

Byleth trembled, breathing deeply. “I just... I think it was... A dream. A nightmare.”

He rubbed her back gently. “Ah... I’m sorry, my dear. Do you want some water?”

She nodded weakly. 

He got up and poured her a small glass. He sat beside her on her side of the bed and watched her attentively as she drank.

“Thank you.”

“Maybe this is a weird question,” he said slowly, “But was it about the baby? Your nightmare?”

She hesitated, then nodded. “I’m... A little scared. After what Hanneman said... What... Have we done?” 

Claude frowned, but the hesitation in his response spoke volumes about similar worries. “You mean... The crest of flames? You think, the baby...?”

She nodded. “That must be it. If I don’t have it anymore, I must have passed it onto the egg somehow.” 

“Well, it’s not unusual for parents to pass on crests, of course, but not quite like that...”

She took a deep breath before continuing. “I visited the crypt, you know. When I was at the monastery.”

The hard left turn in the conversation didn’t seem to startle him. “To see the sword, you mean?” 

“Yes, that and... Rhea.” 

He nodded slowly. “I see. And the sword... Did it respond to you?”

“I tried to pick it up and nearly dropped it. It felt... Hollow. Empty. It made my chest ache. I don’t think I can wield it anymore, even if I wanted to.” 

“I thought that might be the case.”

Byleth gripped her cup with shaking hands. “The child... If she has the crest... I’m worried about what that means.” She took a deep breath. “If that’s... if that’s what Rhea really wanted all along. If we’ve just played into her hands, even after her death... A child born of natural means with such power...” 

“Not sure how natural you can really call what happened...”

“Please don’t joke right now.”

He sighed. “I’m sorry. I can’t fathom what Rhea had planned, and frankly I’m not sure I want to anymore. I won’t say that I’m not worried, but... Whatever crest or power or lack thereof our child has... She will still be our child. We’ll love her no matter what, won’t we?”

Byleth nodded emphatically. “Of course!”

He took her glass from her and set it aside, clasping both of her hands in his. “Then nothing else matters. We’ll love her and care for her and... Do everything we can to raise her well. I think that’s all we can do, really.”

Byleth squeezed his hands, her shaking finally subsiding. “You’re right. I just... Claude... What if she’s... She’s...” 

“Covered in scales?”

She laughed a little. “I was going to say ‘a reincarnation of a god,’ but I’m not sure what’s better...? Or worse?”

“Hmm. It might be nice to be the father of a goddess...”

Byleth thought of Sothis and her scolding, childlike voice. It made her smile, somehow. “Be careful what you wish for...”

“All I want us for our child to be happy and healthy. And you, too.” He leaned over and kissed her. “It’s still early. Think you can get back to sleep?”

She sighed and nodded, crawling back under the covers and reaching for him . “Perhaps. Will you...?”

He crawled back under the blankets beside her, wrapping his arms around her.


	8. Looking Inside

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claude and Byleth get a look inside the egg. Seteth and Claude have another conversation.

“You’re sure this won’t damage it?” Seteth asked, brows drawn with worry. Byleth seemed to be equally as concerned, hovering over the egg protectively. 

Hanneman shook his head. “I’m certain of it. It’s just light. From what I’ve read a similar technique is used in wyvern husbandry all the time.”

They looked at Claude who just shrugged in response. “News to me.”

Hanneman clapped and rubbed his hands together eagerly. “Let’s try it and have a look then, shall we?”

Together the three men carefully lifted the egg and placed it onto the globe stand Hanneman had acquired for the purpose. Behind the stand on another table he placed a hooded lantern, angling it’s window of light onto the back of the egg. With a snap, he extinguished the other candles in the room, dropping them into relative darkness. 

A soft, suffused golden light shone through the egg, illuminating a shape inside. 

They stared at it in wonder for a long time. 

“... Is that... What it’s supposed to look like?” Claude asked finally. 

Byleth frowned. “I... I don’t know.”

They stared for a while longer. 

“Let’s get Manuela.”

Some time later the five of them were staring at the egg again with some concentration. “Yes, you see that? That’s the heart. You can see it beating,” Manuela said with some excitement as she pointed to a small fluttering dark spot within the wriggling mass. “And the head here. And the limbs here and here...” 

Claude ventured a cautious question. “D... Does it have a tail?”

“That’s just the spine, dear. All developing babies look like that.” 

Claude’s sigh of relief was perhaps a little too audible. “Ah, that’s... Good.”

“Yes, indeed! it seems like the child is developing nicely and on a similar timetable to how it would be in utero. Truly remarkable.” 

“Can you...” Byleth asked hesitantly, “Can you tell if it’s a boy or a girl?”

Manuela squinted at the egg again, holding up her opera glasses for a closer look. “Hmm, it may be a little early for that. I can’t see that much definition. But perhaps that means... A girl, then?” 

Byleth and Claude exchanged a pleased look. 

“Thank you so much,” she said with a soft sigh. “We should put it back to keep warm now, though.”

“Of course. This really is spectacular, Your Majesties. Truly, truly spectacular. Thank you again for your trust in this matter.”

“Of course!” Byleth said, taking her hand. “There’s something else I wanted to ask you..”

The two women left the room together chatting amicably. 

Hanneman also bowed out, hurrying back to the library to finish his sketches and notes. 

Seteth and Claude returned the egg to its place in the sauna, carefully rewrapping it in clean swaths of cotton. 

Claude was feeling light as a feather, exhilarated from the news, but when he glanced up at the other man and was surprised to find a rather melancholy expression on his face. 

“Seteth? You okay?”

He jerked to attention, reaching up to rub his eyes. “Oh, pardon me. I’m just... Feeling a little... Nostalgic, is all.”

Claude’s own expression softened. “No need to apologize. You... You must miss her, your wife.”

Seteth sighed sadly. “Every day. You’d think it would get easier, after all this time...”

They paused, letting the moment hang in the humid air between them. 

“Flayn, she... What was she like, as a baby?”

Seteth brightened at this. “Ah, she was utterly beautiful. You’ve never seen such perfection. When I first saw her... Held her... It’s an indescribable feeling. Beautiful and... a bit terrifying.” 

Claude nodded thoughtfully. “I’m looking forward to it.” 

Seteth smiled at him slightly, a faint curve at the very edges of his mouth. “I’m truly happy for you. It really is a miracle.”

Claude shrugged. “I don’t know about a miracle, but... Well, I certainly owe you my thanks. Things got rather hectic after the trip, but I never did thank you properly afterwards. That island was something else.”

Seteth looked embarrassed. “Ah, yes, of course. Don’t mention it. Please.”

“What the hell was in that wine, though? Byleth was... wild for it.” 

Seteth frowned. “...Wine? What wine?” 

Claude stared at him. “...The wine you left in the basket with the note. Dragon-something wine...?”

Seteth just stared at him with a blank look. “I have no idea what you’re referring to, sir.”

Claude watched him for a moment, as if waiting for him to change the story and admit it, but Seteth just looked clearly confused. Then suddenly his eyebrows shot up his forehead in alarm. 

“You don’t mean... You drank Dragon Blossom wine!?” 

Claude nodded and pointed at him. “Oh yeah, that’s it!”

Seteth had gone rather pale. 

Claude was feeling a little worried now. “You... You weren’t the one who...?”

“Indeed not!” Seteth said, shaking his head emphatically. “But perhaps it was mine, as it’s the only remaining bottle I know of in existence... But I’ve kept it under lock and key for ages. It’s a rather rare and potent... ah...”

“...Aphrodisiac?” Claude supplied slyly.

Red in the face, Seteth could simply nod. 

“Yeah, I could tell.” 

Seteth rubbed his chin nervously. “Good goddess...! That wine was not made for human consumption. Your heart could have stopped.” 

Claude blanched slightly. “... Oh.”

They were silent again, unsure of what to say next. 

Claude finally broke the uncomfortable silence. “So if it wasn’t you who put it in that basket, then who...?”

—

Somewhere across the estate, Flayn paused in what she was doing and sneezed.


	9. Hatching Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fated day finally arrives! Byleth and Claude welcome their new child into their lives, but the future remains uncertain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s taken me so long for this update! I had a couple of other fics to get out of my system first, but I’m glad I finally came back around to this one. Enjoy!

Time passes quickly when you are ruling a newly reforged kingdom, much less two. Days swiftly turned into weeks which turned into seasons. Preparations for a new child, a princess who may be a literal goddess reborn, were a rather complicated, but bit by bit they made their plans the best they could. 

Six moons came and went and the egg was now as solid as a brick wall. It felt about as heavy as one, too. Claude, Byleth, and Seteth were doing another regular progress check that morning, gathered around the egg in the sauna as they had been doing nearly every week in recent memory. 

“How big is this kid going to be?” Claude asked in exasperation as they lifted the egg with some difficulty up onto the globe stand for another lantern viewing. “Is she going to hatch and be twelve years old already?” 

“That would be... most unusual,” Seteth grunted as they settled it in and stepped back.

“Yes, and the rest of this process has been completely normal,” Claude said as he dried off his hands on his trousers and wiped his forehead. It was rather humid and warm in the sauna, as to be expected, but especially so on a summer day like today. 

They blew out the candles around the room, leaving the egg aglow in front of the lantern. 

The shadow inside the egg was much more recognizable now, a solid and dense shape floating serenely in the center, approximately the shape and size of a regular newborn baby.

“Shouldn’t she be hatching soon?” Byleth asked. “She’s getting so large...”

“Any day now, I imagine,” Seteth replied, making notes. “Her growth has been quite steady.”

Byleth reached forward to touch the surface of the egg. It was warm and smooth under her hand, the same as it had been for the last six moons. Then, quite suddenly, the shape inside the egg shifted violently, kicking out one leg to bash into the side, nearly jumping out of the stand and thoroughly startling them all. 

Byleth lifted her hand to reveal a small but noticeable fissure.

They all stared at it for a moment before bursting into a flurry of activity. 

“It’s time!”

Manuela, Marriane, Hanneman, and a small herd of nurses were called. The egg was replaced carefully into the nest of blankets and Byleth and Claude huddled beside it nervously.

“Just—just let it happen naturally,” Seteth directed, voice high with all the excitement. “Try not to help her too much. She should be able to—“

The egg shook with some force between them, an audible crack echoing in the large room.

“Good goddess!” Claude exclaimed.

The flurry of movements did not abate, the egg practically vibrating with activity, cracks appearing rapidly now without pause.

“I don’t think she is going to need any--” Byleth began, but she was interrupted as the egg gave one more fierce lurch and promptly cracked completely in half.

For a moment, everyone was tense and silent in shock and utter amazement. 

Byleth carefully reached in and picked up the squirming form of the baby. 

“Oh...!” She said tearfully, “It is a girl after all...!”

Everyone leaned in to look.

The baby was small, pink, and round-faced, her expression scrunched up sourly as she squirmed in her mother’s arms. She appeared quite healthy, and shockingly normal for a child just hatched from an egg. Her ears were small and round, eyes dark, and even her soft cap of hair was a completely mundane shade of brown. She squeaked, stretched and then, quite suddenly, began to cry at an alarming volume. 

“Oh! Oh, what’s the matter?” Byleth said, panicked.

“Here, she’s probably cold!” Marianne suggested over the din, handing her a swaddling blanket. 

They quickly wrapped the baby tightly and securely into a bundle, but she still cried with increasing hysterics. 

“Maybe she’s hungry?” Manuela suggested desperately. 

Without further pretense or modesty, Byleth pulled her shirt open and offered a breast. The baby continued to squirm and cry stubbornly for a moment then quite suddenly latched onto Byleth with some force.

“Oh!” She gasped. “...Ow.”

The baby settled down, nuzzling against her more gently, and Byleth sighed in relief. “My goodness...”

Everyone in the room had been so stunned at the events of the last few minutes it just now began to sink in what sort of intimate moment they were witnessing. Claude looked up at the other men in the room and cleared his throat audibly. 

Seteth and Hanneman startled and turned away quickly. “Oh, apologies!” Hanneman said, clearly flustered. “We will excuse ourselves for now. Please do call us later, when we may examine the child.”

They both bowed and quickly left.

“Congratulations,” Marianne said softly.

“Yes, congratulations, Your Majesties!” Manuela agreed. “How utterly remarkable... She is beautiful. Quite perfect.”

“Yeah,” Claude agreed, looking at Byleth and his new daughter with wonder. “They are.”

—

“Seven pounds, three ounces, 19 inches long. Female. Brown hair. Blue eyes. Born at approximately half-past nine in the morning on the twenty-third day of summer to their Majesties Claude von Riegan King of Almyra and and Queen-Archbishop Byleth Eisner von Riegan of Fodlan.” Hanneman recited as he recorded the information in his ledger with some pomp and circumstance. “Have you decided on a name yet?”

“Scheherazade. Princess Scheherazade Eisner von Riegan,” Byleth said, cradling the baby in her arms as they sat in the study. 

Hanneman smiled and chuckled. “My, that’s a mouthful for one so small.”

“It’s an old Almyran name,” Claude said, reaching over to brush one finger down his daughter’s cheek affectionately. “We’ll call her Shera for short.”

“Very well, a lovely name indeed.” Hanneman nodded amiably, and closed the book with a snap. He turned back to them with a hopeful gleam in his eye. “And would you like for me to test her for a crest now or...?”

Claude and Byleth hesitated, looking at each other for a moment, then down at the baby. Byleth nodded slowly, resigned. “Yes. We should know what we’re dealing with, I suppose.”

“Agreed,” Claude said grimly. 

“I will admit I am quite curious to know myself,” Hanneman said, coming forward with a bit too much eagerness. “Here we are, just a pinch...”

The baby began to cry and squirm, but somehow Hanneman was able to extract a small drop of blood, enough to feed into his crest analyzer. He stared into the contraption for some time, frowning.

“What is it?” Claude asked finally. “You’re keeping us in suspense, here!”

“Apologies, Your Majesty,” Hanneman replied slowly. “It’s just... Well, she does have a crest...”

“The Crest of Flames, right?” Claude supplied. 

Hanneman hesitated. “... No, actually...”

Byleth looked relieved. “Oh? So the Riegan Crest, then...?”

Hanneman squinted into the device. “Uh... Also, no...”

Byleth and Claude exchanged a worried glance. The baby fussed in her arms, and she bounced her lightly. “What is it then?” She asked impatiently.

“I’m afraid I don’t know,” Hanneman admitted with some difficulty, leaning back to stroke his beard in thought. “This isn’t a crest I have ever seen before... And I have seen them all, to my knowledge.” 

Byleth and Claude exchanged another worried look. “What... What does it look like?” He asked hesitantly.

Hanneman quickly drew a sketch as the image faded, and handed the paper across his desk to the both of them. 

Claude took it and held it up. Indeed it was clearly neither of the crests they had expected, but a completely unfamiliar shape vaguely reminiscent of a lotus flower in bloom.

Claude was at a loss. “... Huh.”

Byleth looked up at Hanneman. “What does this mean, though? A completely new crest...?”

“I’m afraid your guess is as good as mine, Your Majesty,” he said with a shrug. “Wonders never cease with this one, it seems. We will simply need to closely monitor to see how her powers, if any, manifest.”

Byleth frowned. “When does that usually happen?”

Hanneman hummed thoughtfully. “Often upon adolescence, but sometimes earlier, sometimes later.”

“I was... Maybe like, twelve?” Claude said, squinting. “And you didn’t even know you had a crest until you came to the academy... Right, Teach?”

She nodded in agreement. 

“I suppose we will just have to wait and see, then,” Hanneman said.


	10. Five Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After another five year timeskip, some things have remained the same and some things have changed for the growing Eisner von Riegan household...

~~~ Five years later ~~~

Claude awoke earlier than usual, blinking up at the early morning light as it filtered through the curtains over the bed. Byleth was asleep beside him, her lovely face soft with sleep and long hair a fan of blue over a pale white shoulder. He savored the moment for a while, gazing at her with a warmth that had not faded in the many years they’d been together. They’d met nearly fifteen years ago, but sometimes it still seemed like yesterday. He brushed her hair aside gently to get a better look at her face and she stirred, dark lashes fluttering against her pink cheeks. 

“Mmm,” she sighed, leaning into his touch, “Good morning.”

He kissed her gently on the forehead. “Morning, Teach. Are you feeling alright? I don’t often wake up before you do...”

She stretched, shifting against him. “Mmm. Just a little tired.”

“Hmm. Maybe we should...” His question trailed off as his hand moved up her leg. “...Have a bit of a lie in?”

She laughed softly. “My... I would gladly take you up on that offer, but aren’t you forgetting something?”

He pressed a kiss into her shoulder. “Hmm? What’s that?”

The door to their bedroom burst open with a sudden slam, a small form rushing in to catapult into the bed with them with a forceful impact. 

“Daddy! Are you awake?!”

Their daughter Shera, now five years old and feisty as a cat, sat on his backside and bounced, her long brown braids swinging wildly behind her. 

Claude recovered with a wince and a groan. “I... I certainly am now, sweetheart.”

“Good! Let’s go!” she said excitedly, practically jumping on the bed in her excitement. “Get up and let’s go, now!”

He rubbed his face. “Go... Where?”

“Flying! You promised! When I turned five I could go flying! Don’t tell me you forgot, Daddy! You promised!”

“Ah... You’re right, Shera dear,” he said, running his hands through his hair. “But can you come back in about an hour? I want to give your mother a bit of a different ride first...”

Byleth gave him a warning glare. 

“No way!” the little girl cried, utterly stricken. “Me first! It’s my birthday!”

Claude regretted his choice of words immediately. “Ah... Sorry, you’re right, of course. I was just joking.”

“And in very poor taste,” Byleth amended. With a groan of her own, she rolled out of bed and to her feet with some difficulty. She was visibly pregnant, belly round and full under her nightdress. 

Shera turned to embrace her. “Oh, Mother! Make him get up! Are you coming, too? Please come!”

“No, dear,” Byleth said sweetly, “I’m afraid someone has to attend the morning council. But let’s go get you dressed properly. You can’t go flying on a wyvern in your pajamas.”

“Why not?” Shera asked, indignant. 

“Mommy?” A soft voice called from the doorway. 

Byleth sighed. “Ah, you’ve woken up your brother...”

A little boy no older than three tottered into the room to bury his face in her skirts. “Mommy, Sheewa too loud...!”

“Yes, I know, dear. She takes after her father that way.” 

Claude sat up. “Hey!”

“Daddy get up! You promised!!” Shera whined.

“I’m up, I’m up!” He said, standing and lifting her up off the bed to swing her into his arms. “Birthday girls have to wear trousers to ride a wyvern, though, unless you want scales to scratch your bum.”

Shera giggled at this intensely. “No way!!”

After a bit of a rowdy shuffle into day clothes and a cursory breakfast, father and daughter made their way to the sky stables. 

They spent the morning flying over the valley, swooping low over the water and then up around the castle, spinning and flipping a few times much to the little girl’s glee. She giggled madly the whole time. They finally alighted on the balcony to take a short rest and catch their breath.

“You had fun?” Claude asked hopefully.

She nodded, hugging him around the middle. “Very very much, Daddy.”

He grinned proudly, brushing her hair aside with one hand. “Want to go again?”

“Oh, no thank you,” she said with a sigh, surprising him. “I’m tired.”

“What, already?” He said, a bit deflated. “It’s been less than half an hour!”

She shook her head. “Oh, but I did the bwoop thing a lot.”

He blinked down at her. “The... What?”

She stepped back and made a circular motion with both hands in front of her face, as if this explained everything. “The bwoop thing. You know.”

“I do not,” he said, amused. “What exactly is that?”

She sighed and gave him a look of utter exasperation. “You always forget.”

He laughed. “Honey, I’m very sorry, but I really have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“It’s the thing I do when I want to do it again. Bwoop and it goes back. But you always forget! It’s very annoying, Daddy.”

He stared at her for a long moment. “You... Um... You do this ‘bwoop’ thing and... Go back? And do it again?”

“Yes, Daddy. We did flips about forty-zillion times but you just forgot,” she grumbled. “And now I’m very tired and very hungry. Can we have lunch now?”

“... I think,” he said slowly, “We should go talk to your mother first.” 

—

“So you’re saying that,” Claude said carefully, “Our five year old child... Can time travel?”

“It seems like it,” Byleth said evenly. “At least backwards a bit. I could do it too, before.”

Claude stared at her. “...Wait, what?”


End file.
